Lost Memories
by Zoldo
Summary: A collection of mostly inter-connected one-shots based around both Link's and Zelda's memories of events that occurred 100 years ago that hopes to deepen the story of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (Essentially deleted scenes from Breath of the Wild; lots of Zelink.)
1. Goodnight

**A/N:** _Alright, so upon my 100% completion of Breath of the Wild (and, yep, that includes all 900 Korok Seeds) and allowing my excitement for the game to finally settle, I_ _realised_ _that there was still more that I needed from the game, particularly its story. The story isn't bad by any means, but it feels almost incomplete, you know? Anyway, this fic is my first attempt at Zelda fanfiction in a LONG while, so hopefully it's not terrible._

 _Basically it will be a collection of memories from 100 years ago that weren't in the game, but that I pretty much accept as canon. Some of them are referenced in Zelda's Diary, Zelda's Research Notes, and The King's Journal, and some I just made up. Also, these memories don't exactly take place in chronological order, so I will give some background information as to when each memory takes place before I get into the chapter. If you have any requests for new memories you'd like me to write, or old memories you'd like me to re-write from the point of view of a certain character, feel free to leave a review below._

 _Each of the extra memories will be labelled with "EX MEMORY", similarly to how the DLC missions in Breath of the Wild are labelled. With that out of the way, here's_ _Goodnight._ _(I should also probably add that I'm complete Zelink trash…)_

* * *

 **EX MEMORY #1: Goodnight**

 _The events of this chapter take place between when Zelda visits the Great Deku Tree in **Recovered Memory #18 (The Master Sword)**_ _and when we see her go to fight Calamity Ganon all alone in King Rhoam's tale of what happened 100 years ago._

* * *

Zelda left the Lost Woods with a melancholic look cast over her features, wishing she had the same faith in herself as the Great Deku Tree seemed to have in her. The wise tree had much optimism in his tone as he had essentially told her that she would most certainly see Link again, that she herself would be able to tell him that she...

Her thoughts were interrupted as, almost as though it felt the need to protect itself once again, the Master Sword returning to its pedestal caused a strange fog to rise around the woods, ensuring that anyone who dared trespass met with a terrible fate. The fog threatened to stir up memories inside Zelda of the first time she'd visited the Master Sword, memories of times with her father that she would rather treasure with him instead of in memorial of him. She needed to find him. She needed to make sure he was okay. She needed to tell him that she was sorry. She had failed him—she had failed all of her friends and her entire kingdom. But there was one thing that Zelda was undeniably sure of: she would not fail Link.

At this point, she could only pray that the Sheikah warriors who had found her shortly after Link collapsed were able to get him to the Shrine of Resurrection before he had been permanently damaged. They had most likely alerted Impa to Link's condition as well, and Zelda knew she needed to talk to her about Link's reawakening, whenever that may be.

Looking to the sky, Zelda watched as the clouds above her burst, bringing forth a downpour that she figured stretched across the entirety of Hyrule, almost as though the weather itself was mourning the loss of her kingdom. Before she got drenched from the essentially damning rain, she reached for the Sheikah Slate, activating it with the tap of her finger. It wasn't long before Zelda felt her body dissolving into streams of blue energy. Closing her eyes, she became one with the rain.

Upon opening her eyes, she saw that all of the white-haired red-eyed people that had obviously been scuttling about prior to her arrival had stopped to stare at her grand entrance to the Shrine of Resurrection for a moment, and made Zelda begin to feel somewhat awkward and out of place. The clearing of a throat behind her, however, was enough to snap them all back to reality, and they began scurrying about the place once more.

Turning around, Zelda allowed herself to breathe a sigh of happiness over who was stepping towards her with a slight shake in her step. "Impa."

The woman named Impa opened her arms to the Princess and she ran into them, hugging her tightly. Zelda had had many mother figures since the death of her mother when she was just six years of age, but none had been as big a part of her life as Impa had.

Impa seemed to shrink with age, Zelda had noticed. When she had met her some ten years ago, she was most certainly taller than she is now. It must be a Sheikah thing, Zelda guessed, growing to a certain point before decreasing in height with age and all that. Small, mostly-inconspicuous spots had also broken out on her face. Impa had also told her that her mother, who had passed away almost eighty years ago now, had named her Impa after the royal guardian of the Princess who had battled alongside the legendary hero against Ganon millenia ago. Impa's daughter also passed away recently, but not before delivering a baby that Impa has sword to protect with her life. Impa has named her Paya, and when Zelda asks why she chose that name, Impa simply smiles and says nothing. Impa also has an older sister, Purah, who resides over in Hateno Village, but Zelda doesn't really see her all that much. She has plans to set up a laboratory in the hopes of examining and understanding the Guardians and the Divine Beasts.

It was then that Zelda quickly pulled out of the hug. "Purah!"

Impa frowned. "What of her?"

"Is she okay? Myself and..." Zelda's voice trailed off as she turned her head toward the main chamber where Link lay as they spoke. "...We were near enough to Hateno Village. Did the Guardians get to her?"

"No, dear," Impa told her softly, a slight rasp in her tone. "Not at all. The soldiers manning the fort at the main entrance to the Hateno region were all able to hold them off. Your powers took care of the rest."

Zelda looked to her right hand then. The strange mark she had seen—what had it been called in her mother's notebook? The Triforce?—had vanished completely.

"I'm so proud of you, Zelda," Impa continued, noticing her self-doubt. "All of us are."

Despite Impa's kind words, Zelda remained filled with a sense of insecurity. "That may be true, but who's to say whether my power will still work when I go to fight Ganon? What if it's a one-time-use sort of thing? What then?"

"Child," Impa soothed. "You are the one who controls your sealing powers. _You_ are the one who determines how much you use them. All you needed was something you truly wanted to fight for. You had been training to awaken your powers out of _necessity_ , out of the pressure put upon you by your royal duties, out of the need other's bestowed on to you to protect your kingdom. But once you _wanted_ this power to protect the thing you wished fight for—the person you wish to fight for, to protect with your life—the power was awoken inside you. Now that you've found that something, you must never forget it."

Zelda opened her mouth then, but was cut off before any words could pass by a tall male Sheikah carrying Link's tunic approaching the two with news. "Your Highness, everything is in order. All that's required to activate the chamber is the Sheikah Slate."

Impa, Zelda, and the man all looked down to the tablet-like mechanical object in her left hand, with Zelda turning her gaze to where Link lay a short few moments later.

Sensing that Zelda needed a moment alone with her knight, Impa cleared her throat once more. "Myself and the Princess would like to thank all of you for your help today. Come. Let us leave the Princess to say goodbye."

As they passed her, each of the Sheikah would mutter something like, "your Highness" or "I'm sorry", and bow their heads, obviously flustered by Zelda's presence.

Once everyone had cleared out, Zelda entered the main chamber of the Shrine and approached where Link lay soundly, leaning over the ancient cradle to survey Link's sleeping form. He looked a lot younger as he slept. Without really thinking, she found the gaze of her eyes falling to his war-torn body. Almost instinctively, she reached out and ran her hand over the many fresh scars that littered his chest, cursing at herself for not being able to protect him the way he had protected her so many times before.

She brought her hand up to his face, brushing a stray blonde hair out of the way of his eyes, Zelda couldn't help the words that passed her mouth. "You always did enjoy sleeping."

She smiled then, continuing to gently caress the side of his face. Link had helped Zelda to forget how hard letting someone go was. She had first experienced loss with the death of her mother when she was younger, and he had been the first person she could open up to about it. She had made a vow to herself to never forget how he had constantly been there for her. It's the same vow that she assumed had awoken her powers in the first place; her need to protect him.

Knowing she needed to stay strong, not only for the good of Link, but for what remained of her kingdom, she brought her head down and placed a kiss on his forehead and whispered words that provoked a strange feeling of déjà vu. "Goodnight, sleepyhead."

Ignoring the feeling altogether, she placed the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal to activate the chamber, causing the walls of the Shrine to fade from blue to orange, signifying the beginning of Link's long slumber. She stepped out of the main room, causing the doors to close, and glanced at what Impa had left for Link upon his reawakening, groaning distastefully at the old shirt and aged trousers.

Wiping a stray tear from her cheek, she began to walk with Impa, who stood at the foot of some stairs that Zelda wasn't sure would last Link's slumber. "Is that the best you can do?" she asked, gesturing to the clothes.

"The best I could do at such short notice, dear," Impa replied with a soft smile that accentuated her age. They reached the mouth of the Shrine and stepped out into the rain, which began to wash the dried mud out of Zelda's hair. "What should we do with this?" Impa asked as she held up Link's blue, still blood-stained tunic. "Should I take it with me or do you want—?"

"No," Zelda cut in sharply, taking Impa by surprise. Collecting herself, she continued. "I mean, no. You should take it. Give it to him once he begins to recall all this." She smiled a humourless smile then. "Maybe it will even jog his memory."

Impa frowned, unconvinced, causing Zelda to sigh. "Fine. I can't... I can't look at that. Not without being reminded of... of how I failed him." Impa opened her mouth to reassure her but Zelda held up a hand. "Impa... don't." She smiled then. "I've got plenty of time to think about what I've done."

Impa's skeptical gaze turned to one of compassion. "As you wish, Princess. Is there anything else you wish for me to do?"

"Yes, actually. If it is possible, please do what you can to prolong Link regaining his memory of what happened yesterday... at least until he has some clear idea of what his life was like before his slumber, of what _we_ were like."

Impa nodded. "I'll do everything I can."

"Thank you, Impa. For everything." Impa waved her hand to brush off the thanks, but Zelda persisted. "Truly, I mean it. Without you, we mightn't have even discovered this Shrine in the first place. Without you... well... my life would be incomplete."

Zelda's words prompted another hug between the two, but a clap of thunder from the sky above forced them out of the embrace earlier than either of them were prepared for.

"What now, Princess?" Impa asked curiously, looking to the sky.

Zelda turned to gaze upon the monstrosity of Malice surrounding her castle, her _home_. "Now," she told Impa. "I find my father. I know he's out there, and if I have to go through Calamity Ganon to get to him, then so be it."

One final nod was shared between the two before they parted ways, and Zelda made her way towards her home, full of determination to get to her father and to become father and daughter again, rather than ruler and heir.

Little did Zelda know that the spirit of her father stood watching over her from the tower of the now-decayed Temple of Time with a smile of pride and sadness on his face.

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** _Well? How was it? Hopefully it didn't suck and you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it._

 _I will say, there were a few challenges I faced when writing this chapter. For example, when we see Zelda with the Deku Tree, she is still covered in mud, but when she goes to fight Ganon, the mud has been washed out of her hair completely, so I needed to make sure it all lined up with canon. I also had to include all the instructions Zelda left Impa upon Link's reawakening (I'm pretty sure I got them all?), so I'm sorry if those moments felt somewhat forced into the fic. I also needed to account for Zelda getting on and off of the Great Plateau. She got on the Plateau okay, but I'm thinking that there used to be a staircase within the walls around the Plateau that just eroded over the past one hundred years of Link's slumber._

 _There were also a few plot-holes I noticed in the game's original story while writing this. For example, Impa seemed to have no idea that Link wouldn't remember her when he came to see her one hundred years after she saw him last (unless she was just playing coy, which was very shady of Impa, or she forgot that he would forget), and yet she knew that Zelda left her instructions to show Link the picture of the Blatchery Plain where Link would uncover the final memory. I don't know. Maybe I'm just thinking too far into it._

 _Anyway, I have ten or eleven more chapters planned out, but if you have any requests as to one you'd like to see, feel free to leave a review or message me. I'll try and have the next chapter up by next week!_


	2. The Voice of a Hero

**EX MEMORY #2: The Voice of a Hero**

 _The bulk chapter takes between **Recovered Memory #7 (Blades of the Yiga)** a_ _nd **Recovered Memory #8 (A Premonition)**_ _, specifically the morning after Link saves Zelda outside Kara Kara Bazaar. Direct references are also made to **Recovered Memory #6 (Urbosa's Hand)**_ _and_ _ **Recovered Memory #7 (Blades of the Yiga)** ,_ _in case you feel the need to re-watch them. Additionally, this chapter is alluded to in Zelda's Diary._

* * *

Zelda awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside her window. She had slept quite soundly, most likely due to the fact that she had spent most of yesterday walking with Link. Normally, memories of what she had dreamed of would evade Zelda once she woke, but that was not the case today. She could clearly envision the dreams she'd had of yesterday's events, and she very much doubted she'd ever forget them.

 _Urbosa!_ she had cried out after being roused by an ungodly noise. _What was that?! Did you feel that?!_ It was then that she had noticed him—Link—standing there with a conflicted look on his face. _Wait, what—how did you—what are you doing here?!_ Seemingly amused by Zelda's rage at Link once again "disobeying" her orders for him not to follow her, Urbosa's soft snickering had turned into her roaring with laughter, much to Zelda's confusion. _Wh—what's so funny?_ Looking back to Link, she began to feel her confusion transition to, once again, rage. _Is this some kind of joke?_ She got up then, trying her best to ignore Urbosa's unceasing laughter, and made sure she was standing eye-to-eye with a very bewildered Link. _Listen to me, hero,_ she had told him with a snarky emphasis on 'hero'. _If you are given orders, you follow them. That is the only reason you are here, is it not? To follow my orders?_

Unable to voice her rage any longer, nor stand the look of shame on Link's face, she exhaled loudly and stormed past him, entering the interior of Naboris. Link took a step forward to follow her once more, but was stopped by another click of Urbosa's fingers, which this time caused Naboris' legs to fold, forcing the Divine Beast into a sitting position, and allowing the enraged princess to exit the mechanical creature.

 _Leave her, Link,_ Urbosa had instructed. _She just needs a moment to cool off. She'll be fine._

Link looked back to the Gerudo Champion, unconvinced.

* * *

 _I can take care of myself just fine,_ Zelda had thought to herself as convincing as she could as she walked through the desert. _I don't need any "chosen hero"._

The sun had begun to rise, and with it came a soft orange glow that was cast all over the arid landscape. Zelda's eyes felt drawn to a small pond next to her, where the sun's glow forced her to a more calm, relaxed version of herself.

An audible rush of air from behind her caused her to whip around instantaneously, her hair flicking itself over her shoulder. It had felt and sounded like someone had ran by her, but she couldn't see anyone. Yet another wild gust of displaced wind from behind her turned her around once more, back the way she had been facing originally, not noticing the slightly shaky palm tree next to her. This time, her eyes were immediately drawn to the ground where the most peculiar substance had been placed...

A bunch of five Mighty Bananas.

 _What the—?_ she began to say, but halted once something glimmering in the small spring next to her caught her eye. Focusing on the reflection on the water's surface a little more, she could make out herself looking in, as well as the sun's rays reflecting off the metal of what seemed to be an arrow in the palm tree just above her. Looking up to the tropical tree, she could make out a tall, slender figure wearing completely red clothes and a white mask with a symbol that Zelda couldn't quite make out on it, and also had two arrows drawn back in a bow, aimed directly at her head. Widening her eyes in surprise and taking a step back as soon as she possibly could, Zelda allowed the arrow to fly directly past her face and straight through the surface of the water next to her.

Without looking back, Zelda broke out into a run, hearing the sound of a bow dropping to the ground and what seemed to be a sword being drawn.

 _No. No. No. No._

She continued to run as fast as she could, although her boots were not as well equipped as they could have been for the sandy climate. Chancing a glance behind her, she could make out a red figure flashing towards her in a run that she herself could in no way compete with.

 _Not like this. Not like this._

Once she turned back around, she was greeted by two more figures in the exact same clothing, the exact same physique. Coming to as quick a stop as she could, she turned around, praying to the goddesses that the other assassin was gone, but was instead brought face-to-face with that same assassin. She tried to believe that there was some chance she could take them on, but that shred of belief faded once her boots lodged themselves in the sand as she turned to face the other two, causing her to fall to the ground, defenseless.

 _Please no._

Zelda didn't want to die. She couldn't die. Not like this. Not when everyone was still depending on her. Not when her _entire kingdom_ was depending on her. She didn't want to die. Despite her mind protesting, her body seemed to submit, and she instinctively closed her eyes and tilted her head away.

Possibly the last thing Zelda expected to hear was the sound of two metal blades clanging off one another. The lack of any feeling of pain was also surprising to Zelda, along with the sound of a body falling to the ground. Allowing herself to open her eyes, she caught sight of a figure to her left— _Link_.

He extended the Master Sword in front of her head, and using his body to shield the rest of hers from her assailants. She couldn't take her eyes off him. The way his hair whipped in the wind, the complete lack of regard for his own safety, the way his eyes, just from the little she could see of them, shone with a fierce determination to protect her that Zelda didn't believe she'd ever seen in a human, barring her father.

If she had been able to avert her gaze, she would have noticed that the other two assassins had rushed off together, obviously scared for their lives of the boy chosen by the Master Sword. After surveying his left and right, Link sheathed the Master Sword and turned to look at her with a hopeful expression. He extended a hand to her and, finally willing herself out of her dazed state, Zelda took it and heaved herself up.

And yet, her eyes were glued to his in a way Zelda had never experienced. He had made a vow some time ago to protect her from harm, no matter the cost. It was one thing to hear him make the vow, but to actually witness him follow through on it was something else entirely.

She eventually willed herself to speak. _Uh... th—thank you._ He smiled brightly then and somehow grounded her back into reality and causing her to remember words she'd uttered to him earlier. _Wait. Didn't I tell you not to follow me?_ His face completely fell from genuine joy to utter embarrassment, amusing Zelda a little. _Well... I suppose I could let it slide this one time..._ she clarified with a cock of her head, causing him to raise his eyebrow in surprise.

After looking at each other a little longer, Link held his hand outward, motioning for her to lead the way back to Hyrule Castle. Zelda did just that and, as she walked on ahead, was even more aware of his footsteps behind her than she ever had been before. Except this time, she wasn't dreading the expression on his face or what he thought of her. Instead, she allowed herself a soft smile knowing he'd be there for her when she needed him.

A rather inconvenient knock on the door snapped her out of her reminiscing. "Princess?" a soft voice questioned. It was her maid, Anjean. "Princess, are you up?"

Zelda wiped her eyes. "Yes, I am."

"Great! Your knight is here to see you. I'll send him in now."

Zelda nearly fell out of her bed at that. She frowned down at her beige nightdress and, realising she wasn't appropriately dressed for visitors, bounded out of bed and to her wardrobe. She pulled out her usual outfit—her blue tunic and brown trousers—and, hearing the door begin to creak open, ran over to the dressing screen in the corner of her room.

"Princess?" Anjean asked upon stepping into the room.

Zelda peaked out from behind the screen so that she could see them. Link stood towering over Anjean. Anjean, despite her age, had maintained great volume in her now-grey hair. It rose up like a fluffy cone and curved at the very top. Thanks to the malfunction of one of the Guardians during one of their earlier experiments, Anjean had been blinded in her left eye. However, Anjean's right eye more than made up for what her other eye could not. It conveyed a kindness to Zelda that she could feel deep within her, in her very spirit.

Upon noticing the Princess' predicament, Link and Anjean looked to each other and then back to Zelda. Link turned himself around as to not be rude.

"Thank you, Anjean," Zelda said gratuitously, and Anjean bowed her head before leaving. When Zelda noticed Link following her out, she spoke up again. "Link, you can stay. I'll only be a few moments."

Link stopped in his tracks, prompting Zelda to continue getting dressed. True to her word, Zelda stepped out from behind the screen fully clothed only a few moments later and found Link out on her balcony, surveying the sky. She stepped out to join him, and he turned his head upon hearing her footsteps behind him. He looked to the disheveled golden heap on Zelda's head and failed to hold in a smile, making Zelda blush slightly. She put a hand on her head and realised that it was extremely messy from her slumber. Her blush turned to one of embarrassment as she turned to walk over to the mirror. Link followed her inside and plopped himself down on the soft red chair that he had placed the Master Sword against near the foot of her bed.

From her mirror, Zelda looked over to her diary, which lay resting on one of her dressers, and began to recall the words she had written just last night.

 _And then... I will try talking to him. To Link._

She had decided some time ago to always be envious of him, of how things seemed to just be handed to him. From what she gathered of the legends passed down that tell of the Heroes of Hyrule, all he had to was _exist_ to be worthy of the Master Sword. It only seemed to hit Zelda then, but that isn't necessary his fault, is it? _He_ didn't choose his destiny, nor had Zelda. The only thing he _chose_ to do was to protect Zelda—and her kingdom—with his power. Looking at the Master Sword may remain a burden to Zelda, but she could no longer take her anger out on Link anymore. Not when he—and the blade—had proven their value to her.

Zelda took a deep breath and spoke up. "I assume you're here to check up on me?"

A grunt of affirmation from Link.

Not exactly what she was hoping for, but it's a start. "I'm fine, really."

She could feel his gaze on her as he was attempting to determine whether or not she was actually fine or just brushing him off again. She finished off the braid that had become her trademark over the past few months. The first time she attempted to recreate it, it took her at least three hours, but now she could recreate in a matter of minutes. She picked up her hair brush and began to sweep the untidiness from her hair.

She looked over to him and saw him staring out at the sky—no, out at the _world_ in front of him. The look of longing in his eyes told her that he wished with all his heart to explore its expanse and beauty one day. She placed the hairbrush down on her vanity and walked over to his chair, sitting herself down on the oddly comfortable arm of the seat. He looked up at her with a look of puzzlement.

She looked to him as well. "Listen... I feel like I should apologise for everything." His confusion grew then. "You've been there for me constantly over the course of our time together and I've been too wrapped up in my jealousy to see that you were—" She stopped herself. "That you _are_ willing to lay down your life for me, and you have been since we met. I... I suppose I should have seen it long ago, what with your persistence, but I guess it took what happened yesterday for me to really appreciate you." A blush came over her then. "I mean... I appreciate what you do for me..." She looked to Link, who had an amused look on his face. "So... I'm sorry. No hard feelings?"

Link smiled a gentle smile then and held out his hand, which Zelda allowed herself to shake with her newfound enthusiasm for their future adventures together. She stood up from the arm of the chair and began to walk towards the door, before stopping in her tracks and tilting her head towards him, realising that that's not the only thing she wanted to say to him.

"Also... I'm aware that we essentially _just_ became friends, but if you ever need anyone to talk to, and I understand that you mightn't feel up to talking, especially to someone you despise... I promise I'll be here for you the way you are for me, no matter what may happen in the future."

With that, Zelda continued walking towards the door, positive that Link would be following close behind her in no time.

"Wait!"

Zelda froze, paralysed by the voice that wasn't her own. That single syllable word echoed endlessly through her ears. Zelda had only heard his voice once before—when he had made his vow to her father to guard her with his life. It was softer than she remembered, although there was a slight rasp in his voice. She turned slowly to be face-to-face with Link, who was looking off into the middle-distance with a shocked expression on his face also, almost as though he himself was surprised at the sound of his own voice.

He eventually brought his eyes back to hers. "Why would I despise you?"

She hadn't been expecting _that_ and, though Zelda was happy he was speaking to her, his words caused a tinge of self-guilt to come over her, and she looked away. "Why wouldn't you? I'm the daughter of the Hyrulean Royal Family apparently born with the 'blood of Goddess' that is as crimson as any other Hylians' and blessed with a sealing power that still manages to evades me, despite my prayers."

She brought her eyes back to his, and saw them filled with compassion. "I... I could never despise you, especially not because of your determination."

It was Zelda's turn to be confused. "My what?"

"Your determination," Link clarified for her. "Despite all that you said there, and despite what you may think of yourself, you are determined to unlock your sealing power. You never let anything stand in your way—especially me. You'll get there. I know you will."

There was something about his words and the way he said them and his _belief_ in her that filled Zelda with a sense of hope. "Okay."

He smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He seemed to be deciding whether or not he should have spoke up because, now that he had, there was no taking it back.

Zelda reached out and put a hand on his arm. "I still meant what I said before. I'll always be here for you."

He opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a Hylian soldier bursting through Zelda's bedroom door.

"Princess!" he yelled upon entering. "We just received word of another massive monster attack!"

Zelda eyes widened with shock. "What? Where?"

"West Eldin Canyon. We're getting reports of powerful Lynels and waves of Bokoblins harassing nearby working Gorons."

 _But the Gorons are a peaceful race,_ Zelda thought to herself. _Why would monsters be feeling the need to attack them? Unless it's the work of..._ She wiped any mention of that name from her head, at least until she witnessed this attack for herself.

Zelda looked to Link, noticing he was already equipping the Master Sword.

Zelda couldn't help but beam. "Ready, hero?"

Link smiled.

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** _I love those two dorks so much! Anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter? Hopefully you didn't mind the delay. It turned out a little longer than I was expecting. I attempted to rewrite those two memories and work it into the chapter, since they're both pretty important to Zelda._

 _I want to stress this now: I'm not a big fan of Link speaking. I mean, I don't mind it, but I think I'll try to keep it to a minimum wherever I can, or only when he's with Zelda. Also, don't even ask me how Anjean is able to exist in this era. I know, I know, her being here makes as much sense as the official Zelda timeline. I'm just part of that low percent of Zelda fans that actually LOVE Spirit Tracks and thought she deserved a mention, even if she's not meant to be the same one as the one in that game._

 _As of right now, the next chapter is gonna be called_ **'Quite the Glutton!'** _... I can't imagine what it'll be about..._


	3. Quite the Glutton!

**EX MEMORY #3: Quite the Glutton!**

 _The majority of events within this chapter are a direct follow-up to the last chapter, and occur on the morning of the day that Link and Zelda head to Irch Plain, where **Recovered Memory #9 (Silent Princess)**_ _takes place [i.e. it falls between **Recovered Memory #8 (A Premonition)** and **Recovered Memory #9 (Silent Princess)** ]_ _. The events in this chapter are also alluded to in Zelda's Diary._

* * *

Zelda's mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts, and people buzzing about the castle on this particular morning certainly weren't helping. They had been planning today's mission for a while and, especially after the incident yesterday on Death Mountain, Zelda was sure that this needed to happen as soon as possible. She would be leading a small task force to the Royal Ancient Tech Lab to the west of Hyrule Castle to begin excavating beneath the ground in search of these 'pillars' that, according to ancient Sheikah records, contain a greater amount and wider variety of Guardians that would aid them in the battle against Calamity Ganon.

And yet, despite the sudden severity of their situation, Zelda couldn't help but think of all the 'smaller' things that had happened yesterday—from her conversation with Link in her bedroom, to the emotion behind Link's eyes that Zelda had never seen in him as he battled the Lynels on Death Mountain, to the exchange she'd had with him on the way home.

Conveniently enough, just then as she rounded one of the corners of the Castle's grand hallways, she managed to bump right into the Hylian Champion himself, who instinctually reached out to catch her in his arms. Her hands then landed splayed across his firm chest, and Zelda could do nothing but stare into his intoxicating eyes, which were filled with something that she could only imagine her own eyes were filled with. Her gaze eventually fell to the bandage that was still on his right arm, and the memories of yesterday filled her head.

Taking their horses, Link and Zelda had exited Castle Town through the east entrance—past the watchtower and cathedral—and headed up east and over Orsedd Bridge and Thims Bridge. They continued along Trilby Plain and past the Woodland Stable, choosing to leave their horses at the foot of the fiery mountain, just off the trail leading through the Minshi Woods.

Beginning their ascent, they were grateful that their encounter with the monsters was in a relatively safe part of the mountain in terms of temperature. Zelda was astonished by the scale of beasts they were facing. The last attack like this was just last week, in the snowy mountains of Hebra, and Zelda had noted then the rise in both the numbers and strength of the monsters. Despite the beasts' increased power on both occasions, they still didn't stand a chance against the boy chosen by the sword that seals the darkness.

He took out the Bokoblins as you'd expect someone of his abilities would, but the way he battle the Lynels was anything but expected. The ferocity in his swing, the brutal blows he delivered to their striped bodies, the rage-filled grunts he elicited as he carried his attack out. He emerged from the conflict with but a cut on his right arm.

 _That cut doesn't look too bad, actually_ , Zelda remembered telling him after bandaging him up, brushing stray hairs over his ear unconsciously. _You're fine for now. But you know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessness. As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal._

She had looked out to the carcasses that now littered the brown earth of the Eldin Canyon before changing the subject. _It seems that, not only is the frequency of these types of attacks on the rise, but the scale of beasts we are facing is intensifying as well. I fear that—_ She stopped for a moment, not wanting to say it at first. _I fear that this is an omen which portends the return of Calamity Ganon._ She decided to stand up then and brush herself off, choosing to have faith that they can overcome this. _And, if that's the case, I'm ready to expect the worst. We'll need to begin making preparations as soon as possible._

Link rose then, and allowed her to lead the way down the mountain, being sure to follow close behind. It wasn't before Zelda and Link were both back on their horses and had gone by the Woodland Stable that Zelda finally spoke up.

 _Can I ask you something?_ she went with.

He looked to her with an intrigued look before nodding.

 _What was all that about?_

He still seemed confused.

 _That thing with the Lynels—your relentlessness, the anger in your eyes... What was it?_

Link took a moment before shrugging. _I...I was just protecting you._

She raised her eyebrow at him then, the stutter making his words even less believable. _Well, I'm sure that was part of it... but there was something else as well, wasn't there?_ He chose to look at her with eyes that told her to drop it, so she took the hint. _Alright... Alright... you don't have to say anything that you're not comfortable with._ Zelda looked him in the eyes with all the sincerity she had in her. _But I meant what I said earlier. I'll be here, when you need someone to talk to._ She looked up to survey where they were and what lay ahead of them and smiled, discovering a way to take his mind off of things. _How about a race to Helmhead Bridge?_

Her sudden question had startled him. _What—?_

She took one bask in the pure perplexity in his eyes before she took off, charging along the worn trail on her white stallion. Zelda had usually only ever been allowed to ride the training horses that were used to prepare knights-in-training at the castle, but the horse she was riding now was born from her mother's horse, and she couldn't help but feel a deep connection to the horse, though they still had a little bit to go before they could get on really well with one another.

To improve her balance she held herself up slightly above the horse as she'd been taught to do, and allowed the wind to catch in her hair. The feeling was unimaginable. She felt as though it would have been a sin to not close her eyes. It felt like she was flying—no, _gliding_ —through the air.

She had once been of the belief that there was no thrill like that of riding a horse, although it had been forgotten by her long ago, after her mother died. Every morning until she was six, she and her mother would spend hours riding their horses out in the open air of Hyrule Field. They had done it so much that they had grown to be regular visitors in many of the town littered around the field, like Mabe Village. They would also call into the Hyrule Garrison to check on the knights there, and deliver letters to them from loved ones back in Castle Town. She often dreamed of feeling as happy as she could back then, and something about this simple jaunt in the Hyrule countryside was breathing new life into her belief.

She opened her eyes when she heard a strange noise creeping up behind her. It was the gallop of a horse, almost perfectly in sync with the gallop of her own. Looking over her shoulder, she could do nothing but gaze and smile as Link passed straight by her on his own horse—Epona, he had called her—however, as he passed by, he looked right at her silly smile and stuck his tongue out at her like a petulant child before continuing by her. Naturally, Zelda was quite shocked. Neither of them had ever been _this_ carefree, especially in each other's company. Deciding to just go with it, Zelda closed her eyes again.

 _I don't think so, hero,_ Zelda muttered and, almost as though it could hear her silent request, the white horse beneath her picked up in speed and began closing in on Link and his brown mare to the point where they were riding directly alongside each other. However, one last surprising burst of speed from her horse granted Zelda the ability to overtake Link and Epona, and allowed her to hear the loud and satisfying clap of her horse's hooves on the stone bridge first.

Zelda looked behind her and saw Link on her tail with a smile on his face, so she slowed her horse to allow Link to catch up the rest of the way with much more ease. However, once he was in a place where Zelda could see him without craning her neck, she noticed that the smile on his face had dropped, and he was staring at the famous fountains found in the Hyrule Forest Park with a rather vacant look on his face. Clearly the site was important to him. Zelda's imagination went absolutely wild with possibilities as to what it could be but, deciding not to say anything instead, she chose instead to look back towards the route before them.

 _I...used to come here,_ Link all but whispered, and Zelda, once again, couldn't help but find herself unintentionally startled by his voice. _All the time, actually._

There was some raw emotion in his tone that Zelda couldn't ignore. _Really?_

He refused to take his gaze off the fountains. _Really... My father and I. It was a special place for us._

Zelda had never heard him talk about his father. _Your father?_

 _Yeah,_ Link responded, finally turning his head to look at her. _He was a member Royal Guard. He had completely dedicated himself to becoming a knight... nothing could stop him. But that dedication... it drove away the people he loved. My mother left us both when I was only five, leaving me with nothing but a note for closure._ Zelda could hear the echo of a crack in her heart. _My father tried to change his ways, to dedicate himself to me, but it was all for nothing. He..._ His voice cracked slightly. _He was killed in a Lynel attack a couple of years ago._

Zelda didn't know what to say—she didn't know if there was anything she could say. _I... I'm so sorry._

Link looked at her with a glare of disbelief. _Why are you apologising? If anything, it's my fault._

 _Your fault?_ Zelda repeated with perplexity. _You can't blame yourself for these things, Link._ He opened his mouth to say something, but she held her hand up to stop him. _I know it's tempting. When your parent passes without much warning, you cling to whatever closure you can, even if that means blaming yourself for their death. You can be told a thousand times that it's not your fault, that it was some sickness or something... but that's not enough. It's never enough. It's always easier to blame yourself because then there's something—or rather someone—to be angry with. But, despite what you might think at first, that doesn't help. It only adds to your pain. The only way to then free yourself of that pain is to forgive yourself, but that's one of the hardest things to do in this world... and not everyone is there quite yet._

Zelda found herself growing distant with her words, and looked over to Link. If he had known that she was referring to the death of her mother, he didn't show it in his reaction, which was instead one of pure amazement at her speech. _You... You have quite a way with words, Zelda._

Zelda blushed slightly. _So do you... You should speak more often._ Zelda decided then to dive right in with a question she desperately needed to know the answer to. _Why... Why don't you?_

He considered her question for a moment. _I...I suppose I've never really believed I was good with words. I also find it's better this way._

 _Why's that?_

 _Well, everyone's got high expectations for "the boy chosen by the sword that seals the darkness",_ he told her, using the fingers of his left hand to quote his own title. _I can't let any of them down. If I do, someone could die... and I guess that means it's easier to not say anything at all, in case I'm out of line. I just shut up and tolerate it all as best I can... I know it sounds a little crazy but—_

 _It doesn't sound crazy at all, actually,_ Zelda interrupted, looking at him with a brightness in her eyes for the courage he'd had to open up like that. _Believe it or not, I completely understand. With everyone's eyes on you, you find it necessary to bear any burden and perform beyond even the best of your ability all the time._

Loud shouts had caused Zelda to look away from Link and survey where they had ended up. Both of their horses, without any guidance from Link or Zelda, had managed to find their way home—back to Hyrule Castle. Link had seemed to be just as surprised as her at their horses' intelligence, but quickly got over it. He hopped off Epona and approached her horse to give her a hand getting off of it. When he reached for her, however, he winced with the pain of his arm, and seeing that pain on his face in her memories was enough to snap Zelda back to the present, where Link's once doey eyes were now filled with that same pain.

"Oh my goodness!" she cursed, noticing that one of her hands had wandered from his chest to clutch his right arm, where Link's cut was. "I'm so sorry!"

She pulled her hand away and took a step back out of Link's arms. Link waved it off with a soft chuckle, although his face was still quite red from blushing. "It's fine, Zelda."

She frowned at his bandage, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

He maneuvered his head down so that it replaced her view of his arm. "I promise."

"Okay," Zelda finally allowed herself to agree, and Link stood up straight once again. "You're still up for joining us for breakfast, aren't you?"

Link's face brightened then. "Of course."

He offered her his better arm, which Zelda allowed to become intertwined with her own. The princess and her knight strolled through the winding halls of Hyrule Castle chatting freely about today's mission. Both Link and Zelda had been praying to the goddesses that some results would be yielded later. Calamity Ganon is most certainly on his way, and Zelda couldn't help but feel as though they were at a drastic disadvantage.

They passed the Guard's Chambers and Observation Room before they finally reached the Dining Hall. Just as they finished climbing the final set of stairs and reached the door to the Dining Hall, Zelda's father came into view. Strangely enough, he had come from the direction of the Library, but Zelda couldn't figure out what he would have been doing there so early in the morning.

Link and Zelda untangled their arms, and Link bowed down before the King, who had just noticed them and began advancing in their direction. He reached out to embrace his daughter in a hug.

"Good morning, my dear Zelda," the King smiled before pulling out of the hug and looking to Link's kneeling form. "That's quite alright, Link. You may rise."

Link did just that and gave Rhoam a good look at the bandage encasing the top of his right arm. "Goddesses! What happened to your arm, my boy?"

Link looked down to his arm, having forgotten it was there, and was considering speaking, but Zelda caught him before he had to say anything. "There was an attack yesterday, while you were off visiting King Dorephan."

The King grew wary. "Were there any other casualties?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, father. Just a few shaken-up Gorons." The King's anxiousness seems to die out, but Zelda knew that she had to tell her father about her hunch. "I think the attack was a sign... of the return of Calamity Ganon."

Zelda's father's face became unreadable. It was as though he had been expecting that news, but didn't want to believe it. "We will discuss this after our meal, Zelda."

Once the King decides a conversation was over, that was that, and Zelda knew this, so she just nodded her head and walked into the Dining Hall, with Link following closely behind her.

The room had been arranged to accommodate the reasonable amount of people that would be joining Link, Zelda, and the King for breakfast. Anjean was already there, and was seated two seats to the left of the large seat obviously reserved for Zelda's father. The King always left the seat directly to the left of him empty, as that is where Zelda's mother used to sit at meals in the Dining Hall and at large events in the Throne Room. Zelda figured that it was because he hadn't truly let go of her yet.

Also present in the Dining Hall were Zelda's other Champions: Revali, Daruk, Mipha, and Urbosa. Revali, Daruk, and Urbosa seemed to be deeply engaged in conversation, while Mipha was standing out with a distant look on her face. She did brighten up when she caught sight of Link, however, and alerted the rest of the Champions to Link and Zelda's entrance. Urbosa offered a warm smile, Daruk was occupied staring at the deliciously carved stone walls of the Dining Hall, and Revali uttered a distasteful "hmph" at the sight of Link. Several of the high-ranking knights and their commander, Russell, were already by their seats at one end of the table. There were also several people that Zelda wouldn't see all that often anymore, including the Castle's resident librarian, Sturgeon, as well as the Royal Family's court poet, Renaga.

Zelda stood behind her usual seat—the one directly to the right of her father—and Link stood next to her. By the time the King had reached his chair, everyone else was ready to be seated upon his request. With the swift nod of his head, everyone took their seats, preparing themselves for their meal.

Just as the food began piling in and being placed on the tables, a Hyrulean knight burst through the door that led to the pathway winding outside the castle, panting and out of breath. Captain Russell stood and approached him. "What is it, soldier?"

"Captain..." the knight heaved before he turned his head to acknowledge the king and the princess. "Your Highnesses." He took one more moment to catch his breath and stand upright. "There's been an issue with today's experiment with the Guardians. One of them is acting up."

The King stood then, and everyone else at the table followed suit. "Are the people of Castle Town at any risk?"

"I believe so. We have it locked in the First Gatehouse at the moment, but it won't be contained in there for long."

The King looked off into the middle-distance for a moment, thinking of a plan of attack. One thing Zelda was always amazed by when it came to her father was his excellent, on-the-spot strategic planning. The King turned to the Captain. "Russell, I need you to take your men and follow this soldier to the problem." He turned to the four Champions. "You can take them with you in case things take a turn for the worst." The Champions looked to one another before following Russell and his men out. The King turned his attention to Sturgeon and Renaga. "You two, I need you to go with them and take note of this incident—how it was caused, how it can be thwarted in the future. It's _not_ to happen again." And, with that, only the King, Anjean, Zelda, and Link remained. "Anjean, you're with me. I'll need you by my side when I address the people of Castle Town. They are all in danger, and I won't lie to them."

Anjean nodded and followed the King out into the hallway, with Zelda just behind them, convinced that Link would follow her out. They had only reached the stairs in the hallway before her father turned around and stopped her. "Oh, that's alright, Zelda," he told her softly. "There's no need for you to join me. You just enjoy your breakfast and focus on your mission for today."

Zelda attempted to hide her disappointment behind a smile as best she could. "As you wish, father."

He planted a kiss on the crown of her head before continuing down the stairs. After staring longingly after them, she accepted that she wouldn't be of use to her father today, and turned around to enter the Dining Hall, only to be shocked buy what she could see—or, rather, what she _couldn't_ see. The various dishes of fruit, vegetables, and meat that the cooks had left on the table before everyone was called away from breakfast were now almost completely empty (except for the plate of boulders set aside for Daruk). Even more curious, Link was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, Link?" Zelda called out, wondering where her knight had gone.

Her heart almost stopped with fear when Link suddenly poked his head up from underneath where his chair was with an apple wedged in his mouth, sauce surrounding his lips, and a guilty look on his face.

He attempted to say something, but Zelda couldn't quite understand it, what with the apple lodged in his mouth. Trying to push down a smile, she just shook her head. He took the apple out of his mouth and held up a half-eaten wildberry. "I dropped this."

They stared at each other incomprehensively for a moment before Zelda couldn't take it anymore and burst out into laughter. There was something about this knight that made her truly happy, and Zelda knew now that she never wanted to lose that.

* * *

 **Ending Notes:** _Thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm not too happy with the way it turned out, but I needed to get it up before I was delayed any further. I've been pretty busy with exams all week. This chapter had a very similar layout to the last chapter, with Zelda reminiscing of a memory of the previous day. Just in case you had trouble reading the chapter, speeches and conversations occurring in the past are denoted by italics._

 _I also stuck in a bunch of references into the chapter. You may have noticed I included that bit about Link's father in the piece. Zelda brought him up in the game during one of the memories, and I was a little salty that we never got to see him. I have plans for us to see what happened to him a little bit down the line. There's also a reference to Kass' teacher. You know, the Sheikah poet? I had to name them myself, so I settled with Renaga. It sounds Sheikah, doesn't it? Yeah, I have an interesting idea for that character, which you'll see play out in a different chapter... (I'm also sorry for the CDi reference... It was accidental I swear...)_

 _Hopefully the next chapter should be up pretty soon. It's gonna be a fluffy one!_


	4. Zelda's Nightmare

**EX MEMORY #4: Zelda's Nightmare**

 _This chapter takes place just after **Recovered Memory #13 (Slumbering Power)** as Link and Zelda make their way back to Hyrule Castle after Zelda attempted to unlock her sealing magic by praying at the Spring of Power._

* * *

As they travelled through the Shadow Pass on their steeds, Zelda couldn't help but be aware of Link's sympathetic and concerned eyes on her. She tried to ignore them by looking elsewhere, but everywhere Zelda looked seemed to remind her of the Spring of Power. The twigs that littered the ground of the forested area reminded Zelda of the twigs that had been floating on the Spring; the beautiful night sky filled with stars reminded Zelda of the reflection of the stars that she had seen on the surface of the clear water.

"You okay?" came a voice, and Zelda made the mistake of looking to its source: Link. She couldn't help but be reminded of how he had rushed towards her as she fell apart in the water, of how he held her in the water as the tears began to come out of her eyes, of how weak she felt in that moment.

 _Nothing…_ he had told her, cradling the back of her head. _Nothing is wrong with you…_

She forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."

But Link saw right through her words—he always has—and reached for the map tied to the side of Epona. He took a moment to locate their exact location on his map with his finger.

"If this map is anything to go by," he told her. "Then South Akkala Stable is located just over Kanalet Ridge there." He used his finger to point in the general direction of where he believed the stable to be. "Judging by the alignment of the moon, there's still several hours until dawn. I think it'd be best if we stayed there for a night. What do you say, Princess?"

It was only after he'd said that that Zelda realised that she was exhausted. They'd both been travelling since first light the day before. The trek from the castle to Akkala hadn't been a smooth one, what with the thunderous weather, and with everything that happened at the Spring of Power, Zelda couldn't help but agree.

"That'd be nice. It's not far, is it?"

Link shook his head. "Just a few minutes."

The two travelled the rest of the way in mostly comfortable silence. As they emerged from the ridge, they immediately caught sight of the Akkala Citadel, which towered over them, standing tall and proud. During the day, it was likely that one would see the soldiers of the Hyrulean Royal Guard working away to fortify the citadel for the inevitable battle with Calamity Ganon, though many believed that it wouldn't be necessary. (As they would soon learn, their naivety would lead to their undoing.)

The stable also came into view—the large wooden horse head, the smell of horse manure, the sounds of grazing animals; all immediately recognisable characteristics of a Hyrulean stable. Except there was one thing missing: the usual bustle of people to and fro. The silence was deafening.

 _Could something have happened here?_ she thought to herself. _Has there been another monster attack?_

Zelda's heart began to pump her blood hastily all over her body, with her breathing beginning to increase inhumanly. Link immediately noticed her discomfort and reached out to take her hand in his. She looked to him and he smiled a soft smile.

"It's gone midnight, Zelda," he told her softly. "No sane person would be up at this hour."

 _He's right,_ Zelda thought, and her nerves faded away when she caught sight of the stable owner fast asleep at his desk with his head in his hand. They both hopped off their steeds and approached the sleeping man.

"Excuse me," Link whispered as he tapped the man on the shoulder gently.

No reaction whatsoever. Link looked to Zelda, who was finding this oddly amusing, before shaking him slightly harder this time. Still nothing. Zelda rolled her eyes and grabbed the lantern from the desk and slammed it down on the hard wood, causing the stable owner to jerk awake.

Still quite sleepy, the man began to shout obviously rehearsed lines at them. "WELCOME TO MY STABLE. WE DEAL WITH ALL THINGS HORSE RELATED. WE ALSO DOUBLE AS AN—" The loudness of his own voice seemed to wake him up fully as he stopped himself when he realised who he'd been yelling at. "P…Princess!" He shook his head violently. "I mean Your Majesty!" He shook his head again. "I mean Your Grace! …I mean Your Highness! …I mean O Heavenly One! …I mean—"

"Princess will do," Zelda interrupted with her hand, attempting to hide her smile.

"P…Princess! Yes, of course! W…We have many facilities here. Th-they are good!" He took a second to breathe and compose himself. "You can spend a night in our luxury barn and keep your horses here in our lovely inn!" He stopped. "Wait…that's not right."

Before the preciously star-struck man could embarrass himself further, Zelda stepped toward the desk. "We just need a place to sleep and a place to keep our horses. Do you think you can arrange that?"

He started nodding endlessly. "Yes! Yes, I can arrange that, Princess! Absolutely! I can most certainly— Oh!" It was then that he finally took notice of Link—who had been quite amused by the man—and raised his eyebrow flirtatiously at the sight of the two together, his attitude almost completely changing. "Just the one bed, is it, Princess?"

Zelda and Link both gaped at each other and back to the man. "What?! No?!" they both said simultaneously, except the second 'no' came out as more of a question than an answer. Zelda cleared her throat. "No, two beds please…separate beds…"

The stable owner continued to hold their gaze with an unconvinced look for a few moments before finally speaking up. "If you say so, Princess."

The man began rooting beneath his desk for some papers, and Zelda became aware of how much her face was burning, and she was sure that Link could see that. Link also seemed to be blushing, and Zelda just needed to take a step away. "I'll go…put our horses over there."

Link nodded quickly, also trying to avoid eye contact. She took Link's steed and her own by their bridles and lead them towards the small sheltered barn. After settling them in, she fed each of them an apple from the satchel on Epona and said goodnight to the both of them.

Turning away, her gaze once again drifted to the tower atop the citadel. The perfect placement of the moon directly behind the tower was a gorgeous enough sight that Zelda couldn't believe it was real. It seemed like something she'd see on a painting in the castle.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came Link's voice.

"That's one word for it," Zelda uttered breathlessly.

Looking to Link, she saw that the blush on his face had somewhat faded—Zelda hoped to the goddesses that hers had faded also—and something else had taken its place: innovation. He had an idea, that much Zelda was sure of. Before she could raise any questions, he held his hand out to her.

"Come on. I have an idea."

The shine in his eyes was enough reason for Zelda to take his hand, though she may have reconsidered if she'd known he'd take off running up the hill and the stairs towards the top of the citadel.

* * *

Zelda was truly exhausted by the time they reached the top of the stairs. They both agreed then and there that they were too tired to climb the tower as well, and chose instead to collapse against a wall that gave them a spectacular view of Akkala.

However, that spectacular view also gave Zelda the opportunity to see part of the statue of the goddess Hylia located in the Spring of Power, with the resurfacing of her memories of there somewhat dampening her enjoyment of such an amazing sight.

"You know there are old legends," Link began when he noticed the look on her face, nudging her lightly with his elbow to catch her attention. "That tell of a land above the clouds where our ancestors lived."

Zelda nodded and looked to the sky above them, smiling a little. "I know… My mother often told me stories about it. It was incredibly peaceful for them up there. I can't think of any reason why they would've wanted to leave such a place and come here."

"I can. One of the only things I remember about my mother was the stories that she would tell me about the island in the sky." Link's mention of his mother immediately heightened Zelda's interest. He hardly ever spoke of her. "More specifically, my mother once told me the story of a girl that lived on the island who had a greater destiny than she could at first fathom. When the girl's destiny finally caught up with her, she chose to face it head-on, but the girl would soon learn that nothing was as she had believed it to be. She was forced to face many trials and tribulations—there's even tales that she slept for centuries to hold back an ancient evil—but in the end, when she was given the choice, after everything she went through here in Hyrule, she still chose to stay here. Why? Because the girl didn't feel safe on an island in the clouds. She felt safe here on solid ground, where she could see the clouds above her, and feel the warm breeze of Hyrule on her skin. We should all be allowed to feel that safe."

For a man who hadn't spoken that much when they first met, Link certainly had a way with words that could affect Zelda right to her core. She had never heard of the girl in Link's story, but Zelda couldn't help but relate to her. If the girl in the story could find and face her destiny with that kind of strength, then so could Zelda.

Zelda found herself all but beaming at the man next to her, who was blushing slightly under her gaze. Zelda would never be able to describe the contentment she felt in that moment, and that content lead her head to fall softly to Link's firm shoulder. In her attempt to keep herself from falling asleep despite her exhaustion, she looked back up to the night sky, her eyes now filled with a hunger to find this "island in the sky".

She soon noticed that one of the stars in the sky began to glow brighter than the rest, causing the others to fade from Zelda's view. Confused, Zelda lifted her head to look around her, and was aghast to find nothing—Link, the citadel, the stable below; they were all gone. She was in place completely consumed with darkness. She looked back to the star, the glow of which had become almost blinding. The star had also begun to take a more humanoid shape. The shape appeared to be that of a woman's, with kind blue eyes that were gazing right at Zelda. The woman's golden hair still managed to whip around her in this windless void they both found themselves in. Zelda tried her best to hold the woman's stare, but the heavenly light that she seemed to be composed of was truly overwhelming.

 _Could she be a goddess?_ Zelda found herself thinking. _A fairy?_

Whichever the case, Zelda was sure that this woman was the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen. When the woman seemed to be sure she had Zelda's full attention, her lips began to move and, although Zelda found it hard to look at her, she could tell her lips were moving both quickly and urgently. Whatever this woman had to say was very important to her, but Zelda couldn't hear her. No matter how much her lips moved, no words reached Zelda's ears. Zelda tried to open her mouth and tell the woman that she couldn't hear her, but her body wasn't responding.

It was then that the woman's light began to fade, making it easier for Zelda to look at her. The woman seemed to realise from Zelda's facial expression that she wasn't able to understand what she was saying, and a look of sadness crossed her gorgeous features. The sadness soon turned to resignation, and she began to fade faster.

 _No…_ Zelda found herself thinking. She attempted to voice her thoughts, but to no avail. _NO!_

Zelda finally willed herself to extend her arm towards the fading light and speak. "Wait! Come back!"

"…Zelda…" a voice came. "…wake up…"

Zelda's confusion turned her attention away from the woman's almost-gone figure to the second voice in the dark void. "What...?"

"…please open your eyes…"

Zelda found her body being shaken by someone and before she knew it, she was lurching forward, her eyes snapping open and the world spinning back into its rightful place around her. She found herself panting rapidly and she reached up to wipe her brow, which was covered in sweat. Before she could even acknowledge Link's presence next to her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh, thank Hylia," Link whispered into her hair.

"Wh…what happened?" Zelda managed to ask, despite her disorientation.

"You were yelling in your sleep, screaming 'no' and telling someone to wait and come back to you. Do you not remember?"

Zelda shook her head and pulled out of the hug to look Link in the eyes. "No, I remember… I just…" She stopped. "It doesn't matter. It was probably just a strange dream."

Before Link could question her further, Zelda looked to the sky, which had been tinted orange with the coming of the morning sun. She must have been sleeping for longer than she realised.

"We should probably get going," she told Link, looking down to the stable where their horses stood grazing. She stood up and dusted herself off, offering her hand to help him up, which he accepted. "If we're not back soon, the guards will begin to get curious."

They began their descent down the steps that encircled the citadel, and Zelda couldn't help but be aware of Link's wary eyes on her. He always seemed to have a knack for reading her, and he could certainly tell something was off with how she was reacting to the vision of the woman.

 _Vision?_ Zelda thought to herself. _No, it was just a dream... Just a dream…_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** _Thanks so much for reading the chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the delay with this one. I was on holidays for a little while and didn't get a chance to update it while I was away. Hopefully you won't have to wait that long for the next chapter._

 _I really enjoyed putting the Skyward Sword reference in there. It really clicked with me as I was writing this chapter how similar BotW!Zelda and SS!Zelda are. I mean, they both journey to springs all over Hyrule to unlock their hidden powers; they both sleep for several years to hold back an evil entity; they both form a really close relationship with Link (I could go on, but I'll digress for now)._

 _Also, just on the topic of stables, from what I gathered from the game, I think that the stables were around 100 years ago, but were destroyed in the Calamity, leading to the rebuilding of all of them during the 100 years Link is asleep._

 _Anyway, next chapter has my favourite chapter title out of all of the chapters I've done or have planned to do…_


	5. The Calm Before the Calamity

**EX MEMORY #5: The Calm Before the Calamity**

 _This chapter takes place between_ _ **Recovered Memory #14 (To Mount Lanayru)**_ _and_ _ **Recovered Memory #15 (Return of Calamity Ganon)**_ _, and recalls the events that occurred before the Champions headed to Mount Lanayru to have Zelda pray at the Spring of Wisdom._

* * *

Zelda allowed the afternoon sunlight to bathe her face in its glow as she stared through the glass of the windows above her. It was her seventeenth birthday, and here she sat, alone in her bedroom with her diary laying in front of her.

"Seventeen…?" she thought aloud, her voice filled with unbelief. She was now old enough to be seen as worthy in the eyes of the goddesses, though this came at the cost of her younger years being filled with nothing but intense training and unanswered prayers and loss.

She had been sitting there for what seemed like hours and yet, when Zelda finally pulled her gaze from the outside world and looked back to see what she'd written in her diary, she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself for not having written more.

 _I turned seventeen today. That means this is the day I will finally be allowed to train at the Spring of Wisdom. When Link arrives, we will set out for Mount Lanayru. The other Champions will accompany us there. I have not seen my father since he scolded me. Things are too strained now… I will meet him when I return._

Her thoughts were elsewhere as she recalled the strange dream she had had the other night when she and Link were on their way back from the Spring of Power. She couldn't get the image of the celestial woman out of her mind, nor could she remove the feeling in her gut that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

Perhaps talking about her dream would alleviate the trepidation she felt, but Zelda didn't have anyone she could talk to right now. She couldn't speak to her father for obvious reasons. She couldn't speak to Impa because she was busy in Kakariko Village preparing as many Sheikah warriors as she could to help her with further testing in the Shrine of Resurrection. Impa had finally figured out how to activate the Shrine—with the Sheikah Slate being the most instrumental tool—but it was impossible to determine the success rate of the Shrine's capsule or how long a subject would need to be resting for to fully regenerate themselves.

Zelda could have spoken to Link after she'd had the dream. He _had_ been there when she'd had it, of course. Zelda's cheeks flushed a soft shade of red. Herself and Link had both been asleep—together—when it happened. Zelda sometimes found herself startled by how close her and Link had gotten in these short few months, with it even reaching the point where she couldn't fathom losing him. Zelda knew that there was a word that was often used to describe that feeling, but she forced herself to wipe it from her mind. Anything that existed between her and Link would have to wait until after the threat of Calamity Ganon had been dealt with, although Zelda had begun to lose hope that they could stop him.

She decided then to return to her page and lift her quill. If she couldn't talk to someone else about her presentiment, she'd just have to hope that writing about her troubles would help ease them.

 _Actually… I've had a horrible feeling ever since that weird dream. No one would believe a failure of a princess, but… right now, for no particular reason, I am filled with the strange certainty that something awful is about to happen._

No sooner had Zelda set the feather down was there a knock at the door. "Princess?"

There wasn't a doubt in Zelda's mind that the voice from the other side of her door belonged to Link. She rose from the desk and approached the door. "Yes?"

Zelda was somewhat confused to open the door and discover Link with a look of pure exasperation on his face. It seemed to Zelda as though he must have run the entire length of the castle's corridors. He took a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "We have something for you."

That was only adding to Zelda's confusion. "What are you talking—?"

She didn't get to finish though, because Link took her hand in his—which he had begun to do more and more often recently, and the feeling of warmth it brought Zelda was extremely distracting—and took off through the corridors once more, this time with Zelda in tow.

"Link…" she managed to get out eventually, holding onto his hand for dear life as they sped up the red-carpeted stairs towards the Sanctum. "Where are we going?"

Zelda didn't have to see his face to know there was a huge smile plastered onto it. "You'll see."

She suddenly grew wary. "We really do _not_ have time for this, Link. We need to be heading out for Mount Lanayru shortly and—"

"Surprise!"

Zelda was, for the second time in a short few moments, cut off before she could finish. She looked around and realised that she and Link had ended up in the Sanctum, which could no longer be recognised by Zelda as the Sanctum.

Large banquet tables stretched from wall to wall, with the aroma of the food present on them competing for room in Zelda's nose. Octo Balloons of various dyed colours hung from strings all around the large room. Looking around, she could see several familiar faces, including those of the Champions, who were stood closest to the main entrance to the Sanctum. Urbosa was smiling a stupidly gorgeous smile at the Princess, Daruk was doing his best to keep his attention from the plate of Rock Roasts that had been laid out specifically for him, Revali was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed looking like the last thing he ever wanted was to be here, and Mipha smiled a shy smile when she noticed them enter, and had begun poking Revali with her feet to get him to pay attention. Some soldiers that Zelda had seen out training when she had been watching—er, _observing_ —Link train were also in the Sanctum, tied up in laugh-inducing chat with their colleagues.

"A surprise birthday party…" she smiled, unable to feign any distasteful emotion at what Link and the other Champions had arranged for her.

"Do you like it?"

Zelda looked to Link, whose eyes were filled with an endless amount of hope. "I love it. Thank you, Link."

He smiled a ridiculously bright smile then and began to blush. "Well, it wasn't just me. I had help."

He motioned to the other Champions with his free hand, and begun to approach where they stood, making no effort to remove his hand from hers.

Meeting them halfway, Zelda noticed that Urbosa had begun smiling a sad smile. "Urbosa? Are you okay?"

Urbosa nodded quickly, holding her smile. "Of course. It's just… Wow… Seventeen? My baby's all grown up."

Zelda smiled and gave the tall woman a hug, but Revali—whether intentionally or unintentionally, Zelda didn't know—found a way to ruin the moment. "One year closer to death, as they'd say."

They all glared sharply at him as Mipha caused him to let out a groan of pain by piercing his wing with her strong elbow. In response, he crossed his wings and stalked off to the corner.

"Ignore him, Princess," Mipha whispered softly before following the upset Rito.

Urbosa turned her attention back to Zelda and pointed towards an entire banquet table filled with presents. "We got you a couple of presents."

Zelda frowned, unable to hold back her smile. "Just a couple?"

Urbosa nodded in agreement. "Just a couple."

"Thank you, all of you, really, but we don't have time. I'd like to be finished at the Spring of Wisdom before dark."

"That's fair enough, Princess, but you know what there _is_ time for?" Urbosa questioned.

"What?"

"A dance with your appointed knight!" Urbosa exclaimed as though it were a well-known fact, throwing a knowing look at Link.

"Excuse me?" Zelda asked, turning to Link, only to have herself be led to unpopulated centre of the room by him. "You… You know how to dance?"

"Of course I do. Don't you?"

"Well, yes, but… My mother taught me… How do you know how to dance?"

"I guess I'm just a gifted natural," Link shrugged.

Zelda couldn't have had a more disbelieving look on her face. Link rolled his eyes.

"Fine… Urbosa taught me…" Zelda glanced over Link's shoulder to the Gerudo at his words, and found her wiggling her fingers as though she were waving. "You make it very difficult to impress you, Princess."

Zelda couldn't help but feel offended. "I absolutely do not…"

Link cocked his head at her, unconvinced, before looking to the band of musicians up on a make-shift stage beneath the thrones and nodding. Zelda watched in awe as they parted to allow her father, the King of Hyrule, to come out from behind them with a pan flute in his hand. Sitting down on the stool laid out for him, he closed his eyes and began to play a tune that meant the entire world to Zelda.

"How…?" Zelda asked in awe.

"Your father found out that we were planning this and asked if there was anything he could do to help. I told him we had been able to get this band of musicians from a milk bar down in South Hyrule, but we didn't know any songs that were special to you. He told us to consider our problem solved and walked away." Link looked back at her. "You do know this song, don't you?"

Zelda nodded, looking back at Link. "I could never forget it. It's a lullaby that my mother used to play to me as I lay in bed, waiting to be soothed to sleep. She would tell me that all will be well in the end and that I could do anything… and then she'd kiss my forehead and tell me, 'goodnight, my little princess'."

Link looked at her softly at her as she spoke, with the both of them continuing to sway back and forth together for some time, eventually leading to Zelda laying her head on his chest. "Thank you," she whispered.

He bopped his nose off her head with a smile on his face. "I have one more surprise for you."

Zelda looked up at him with a smile. "Oh?"

Link nodded before turning towards where Urbosa had stood before. "Urbosa!" he somewhat yelled to catch the attention of the Gerudo Champion, who was now talking to the Royal Family's court poet, Renaga. "Do we have time?"

Urbosa turned her attention from the Sheikah to smile a knowing smile and nod her head. "We do."

Link turned back to look at Zelda's interested face and stepped back from her, bowing his head. "Would you care to follow me, Princess?"

Zelda rolled her eyes. "There isn't going to be more running, is there?"

Zelda watched as her appointed knight cringed a little and began to scratch the back of his head, just behind his ear. "Eh, perhaps…" Zelda's distain must have shown, because he quickly offered, "It'll be worth it, I promise."

She resigned with a sigh and took his left hand in hers. "Lead the way."

He took a moment to beam at her before taking off sprinting down the stairs and back into the castle.

Somewhere along the way, Link had told her to close her eyes and, despite Zelda's extensive knowledge of the castle—it _was_ her home, after all—the Princess had no clue where she and Link had ended up, only that they were finally standing still in a room inside the castle. Zelda heard as Link seemed to pick something up from where it had been resting on what sounded like a wooden desk.

"Okay… open your eyes," Link told her, and Zelda did just that, though nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her.

It was a silent princess, her favourite flower, healthily growing from soil in a dark blue pot.

But that wasn't possible. The silent princess couldn't grow in domestication. "How did you…?"

"It wasn't easy," Link told her. "Like you said, the flower couldn't be domesticated… at first, but, once the seed had been planted, the princess only required proper love, care, and attention to be able to thrive wherever it pleases, no matter the location." He reached up to inhale the flower's fumes with his nose. "I just hope to one day see a whole acre of them growing as freely as this one out in the wild."

Now it was Zelda's turn to beam, not just at the flower, but also at Link. "Me too."

She took the pot from Link and ran her fingers gently over the petals of the beautiful flower. "Thank you so much, Link…for everything."

Link blushed slightly then. "It was nothing, honestly, Princess."

Zelda cocked her head and smiled, seeing an opportunity. "Well, consider me _impressed_ …"

Link glared at the Princess in amusement, his tongue running along his lips. "I suppose it _did_ take a lot of effort on my part."

Zelda smiled coyly and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh, Hylia forbid. However can I repay you your effort, _my hero_?"

A beat passed as Zelda looked down to the flower in her hands.

"Kiss me, Princess."

Link's sudden words caused Zelda to look up at him again and gasp slightly. At first, he too seemed shocked at his own statement. His cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and he began to scratch the back of his head—Zelda had noticed that it was his way of showing he was embarrassed—as Zelda watch him strenuously attempt to avert his gaze, but to no avail. His blue eyes remained glued to hers. It was clear to Zelda then that Link didn't mean to make such a sudden request, but he in no way regretted it.

He chuckled quickly. "I, uh, I just mean— Well, I didn't mean to be— Only if you want to do that, of course…"

While Zelda's own words to wait until after she'd defeated Ganon to explore a relationship with Link echoed within her very core, there was someone else's voice there too. It was her mother's voice, telling her words that she had heard from her several times before.

 _Zelda, my love, all will be well in the end._

Her mother was right. Her mother was always right. All _will_ be well in the end. It must be. She and Link would defeat Ganon together, according to prophecy, and her mother's words in Zelda's heart was causing her to begin believing in that prophecy for the first time since she was younger.

 _So?_ she thought to herself, gazing deeply into Link's eyes. _What are you waiting for?_

And, after what seemed like a century, Zelda allowed herself to smile a small smile and step towards Link, closing the gap between them. The look of awe on Link's face was the last thing she saw before her eyes slid shut and she met his lips gently, bringing her arms up to wrap them around his neck and play with his ponytail.

No sooner had she tilted her head to deepen the kiss did Urbosa come barging into Zelda's study like it was hers. "Commander! We're ready to— Oh!"

Both Zelda and Link broke the kiss without the desire to and glared at Urbosa, who was now resting her tall, lean body against the door with one arm on her hip, one eyebrow raised salaciously, and her mouth curved into a knowing smile. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Link replied strongly.

"Yes," Zelda replied at the same time, impatiently.

Link and Zelda looked back to each other and blushed a deeper shade of red, yet still made no attempt to move further away from one another, causing Urbosa's smile to darken. "Can it be continued at a later time? We need to go if you still plan to reach the Spring of Wisdom before dark, Princess."

Zelda exhaled loudly. "Okay, I just have to get changed into my other clothes." When it became clear that Urbosa wasn't going to leave the two alone again, Zelda stepped back from Link. "And I guess I should go do that right now…"

"Good call, Princess," Urbosa agreed, and lead the way for the two of them to follow over the bridge connecting Zelda's study and her bedroom. They descended the stairs and crossed Zelda's room in silence, although Link and Zelda continued to throw doting looks at one another.

"We'll meet you at the entrance to the castle," Urbosa added before exiting, ensuring to hold the door open for Link.

"Bye," Link said softly.

"Bye," Zelda responded, just as soft.

One the door had closed, and the reality of what had just happened set in on Zelda, she reached up to her lips with her hand, wishing she could feel Link's lips on hers once more. She smiled and turned to approach her closet and get her white praying dress out. Taking the time to undo the braid in her hair, she looked into her mirror and taught about all the people she had in her life. Her father, who she would make sure to make amends with upon her return to the castle; Impa, who had become the closest thing to a mother Zelda had known since her real mother passed away; Urbosa, who was almost an older sister to Zelda, perhaps even another mother; Mipha, who Zelda thought of as her shy younger sister who didn't speak often, but when she did, she always had Zelda's full attention; Daruk, who reminded Zelda of an older brother she always wished she had; Revali, who Zelda wasn't sure was _that_ important to her in any way; and Link…her appointed knight.

Sliding her white dress on, she decided that, no matter their relevance to her, she always wanted them in her life. One last check in the mirror was followed by her heading to the drawbridge. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't hoping she'd run into her father. She still had to thank him for remembering that song for her. Whenever her mother had been away on royal duties, Zelda's father would be her stand-in, performing the lullaby as graciously and as beautifully as her mother would, causing Zelda to fall asleep in no time.

But she didn't get to see him. She didn't get to say thank you or that she was sorry.

She met with Urbosa, Daruk, Revali, and Mipha at the large gateway to the pathway that lead to the Sanctum. Link joined them just a few moments later, looking brightly at Zelda, and they all began their trek to Mount Lanayru. They would be travelling by horse and carriage to make things easier.

"So… you and Link, huh?" Urbosa teased as they walked towards the carriages that were lined up outside the entrance to Castle Town, nudging Zelda's side with her metal-plated elbow.

Zelda glared at her before sighing with resignation. "It's still quite new."

Urbosa cackled loudly before collecting herself. "No, Princess… No, it's not."

Zelda stared at Urbosa with confusion at her words as Urbosa increased the speed of her stride to outpace Zelda and catch up with Revali and Daruk, leaving Zelda to look behind her at Link, who was talking to Mipha about something. His eyes wandered from Mipha's to Zelda's in that moment and offered her a small smile that was filled with an emotion Zelda had been avoiding since she had met him. Looking to Urbosa once again, she took her words into account. Maybe what they had wasn't new. Maybe their joint destinies to destroy Ganon together wasn't _just_ about destroying Ganon. Maybe it was so that they would be allowed to meet one another… so that they would be allowed to fall in love with one another.

Zelda looked back to Link and began to recall the first time she met him. She remembered getting that strange feeling in her stomach when he looked at her that she had initially identified as hatred, perhaps because she had never felt that particular way about someone before. But Zelda knew now what that feeling had been. She felt it when he had looked into her eyes then, and she continues to feel it as her looks into her eyes now.

Zelda finally focused onto Link's eyes, not surprised in the least to feel that feeling in her stomach and see that same smile on his face, and offered him one of her own, one filled with the beauty of a silent princess and the warmth of the setting sun.

A smile filled with love.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Oooh, my little babies finally did the thing! I'm so proud of them. What did you guys think of it? Hopefully you liked how it all played out. Not gonna lie, I really, REALLY loved writing this chapter! Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it._

 _The whole idea for the kiss, funnily enough, came about when I began re-watching the Zelda animated series from back when I was a kid. You know how Link would always be like, "kiss me, Princess" or "how about a kiss, Princess?" and they'd constantly get interrupted before they could? Yeah, well, being the complete Zelda animated series apologist that I am, I did my best to incorporate it in here. I get that a lot of people hate the show, and I won't deny that it has its fair share of issues, but I just can't find it in myself to hate it._

 _Just to cover some of the references in the chapter: King Rhoam was performing Zelda's Lullaby on the pan flute (I had this notion in my head that it sounded the same as Zelda's Lullaby in Skyward Sword). Also, the silent princess that Link gave Zelda is the same one that you're able to collect from her study in the actual game. Why did it survive all that time? Because it NEEDED TO. Also, I hope you felt all of the Mama!Urbosa feels._

 _Anyway, the next chapter is already started, so hopefully it'll be up soon. (Except I'm starting to sorta get addicted to Splatoon 2, which isn't good for my writing schedule…)_


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